Ithaca's Michael Davis pleads guilty in murder of Josie Berrios

Michael Davis, 45, of Ithaca, has been charged with murder in the second degree and arson in the first degree. Investigators have identified the victim as Josie Berrios, 28, of Ithaca.
Matt Steecker / staff video

A 46-year-old Ithaca man pleaded guilty to the murder of a woman on Friday in Tompkins County Court.

Michael Davis pleaded guilty to second-degree murder and admitted he killed Josie Berrios on June 13.

Berrios' body was burned, according to court documents. The body was located at the Breazzano Family Center for Business Education while it was a construction site at 209-215 Dryden Road.

Davis faces 15 to 25 years in prison. Deputy District Attorney Andrew Bonavia and Assistant District Attorney Diane Lama are requesting the maximum sentence permitted by law. Attorneys James Baker and Russell Maines are representing Davis.

Although Berrios was a 28-year-old transgender woman, District Attorney Matthew Van Houten has said there was no evidence to suggest Davis could face charges related to a hate crime.

“There is nothing that will truly amount to justice in this tragic case," Tompkins County District Attorney Matthew Van Houten said in a press release. "However, the fact that the defendant accepted responsibility, pleading guilty to a Class A-I Felony and waiving his right to appeal, thereby saving the family and the community the trauma of enduring a lengthy trial, is an outcome that is certainly one that advances public safety and will appropriately punish the defendant for his crime.”

Davis was required to waive his right to appeal as part of the plea.

Davis is incarcerated in Tompkins County Jail pending sentencing, scheduled for March 23.

Davis previously pleaded not guilty to murder and arson in June in Ithaca City Court before the case was transferred to County Court.

Investigators determined Berrios' death was suspicious and began an investigation after seeing Berrios' body had been burned and was next to a gallon can of gasoline, court documents stated.

A surveillance video showed Davis wearing an Alpha Security Bureau uniform and carrying a duffel bag on the morning of June 13, both of which matched a uniform and bag police found at 309 College Ave., according to court records. The video also shows Davis leaving the area without the duffel bag and no longer wearing the shirt.

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A body was found in the Breazzano Center when it was under construction at 209-215 Dryden Road.(Photo: Matt Weinstein / staff photo)

The shirt was found inside the duffel bag along with a lighter, documents stated. A photo taken by a witness on June 12 showed Davis with the duffel bag and wearing the shirt.

Police also found plastic bags containing work gloves at a property on Ringwood Road in Dryden, records stated. The plastic bags also contained additional plastic bags that had pants and a gray T-shirt, both having an odor of a petroleum-based substance.

Investigators identified a personal relationship between the victim and Davis.